Earthing Interiority
Reimagining Urban Domesticity using Locally Foraged Materials2024
Parsons School of Design
Individual Project
Globalization has blurred the line separating local and global, and spaces, regardless of their geographical origin, look and are experienced similarly. This results in sameness and placelessness, causing alienation from local culture, traditions, and unique contexts. At a time when it’s fairly easy to move around and find “home” in different cultural contexts, how can we cultivate a sense of belonging and connection to the land?
Waste Oyster Shells
Debris
Moss
Sugar Kelp
Rockweed
Driftwood
Rooted in the traditional Indian practice of using regional, naturally occurring ingredients in building materials to foster a connection with the land, this project proposes a framework for interior design practice. Challenging the notion of nature as separate or to be conquered, this thesis proposes a framework for interior design practice centered around place-based material & spatial design choices rooted in the hyperlocal context, to counteract this placelessness. Moving away from colonial extractive methods, the framework advocates using locally foraged materials to design site-specific interiors within standardized urban dwellings in New York.
By incorporating materials such as seaweed, oyster shells, moss, and driftwood, the project aims to reintegrate humans into a larger ecological network, fostering both social and ecological connections.
Details
Through everyday interactions inhabitants forge a symbiotic relationship of care and reciprocity, cultivating an understanding of the interconnectedness of all living things.
Emphasizing the interior as a living ecosystem, where foraged materials are active participants, not passive components, this approach of cohabiting seeks to imbue domestic environments with a sense of grounding for those dwelling within these otherwise impersonal placeless domestic environments.
Globalized Interior
No Connection to Context or with people
Alienated
High Embodied Carbon
Toxic
Wasteful
Extractive
No Connection to Context or with people
Alienated
High Embodied Carbon
Toxic
Wasteful
Extractive
Localized Interior
Rebuilds a personal connection between people and place
Low Embodied Carbon
Less Energy - Self Sufficient
Reduced Waste Levels
Relationship of Care and Reciprocity
Rebuilds a personal connection between people and place
Low Embodied Carbon
Less Energy - Self Sufficient
Reduced Waste Levels
Relationship of Care and Reciprocity